King's Cross
by FemaleChauvinist
Summary: A horse has a long lifespan compared to most animals, but it's only a breath compared to a vampire. When her horse King is dying, can Bree Cullen bear to let him go?


**Disclaimer:** While the attempt has been made to be medically accurate, some artistic license has been taken, and statements made by Carlisle are not to be regarded as authoritative.

Recognizable characters and plotlines are the property of Stephenie Meyer; all original characters and story © 2015 FemaleChauvinist.

_Do not post without permission. Do not copy/print without including the above disclaimer in its entirety._

**A/N: See my profile for the alternate history behind Bree becoming a Cullen.** **I actually have her story, **_**Mirage**_**, about halfway written; I don't currently have any plans to finish it, but if I get enough requests I'll post what I have, including a summary of how I had planned to end it. Barbie**

_August 2019_

_Nessie pregnant_

**Bree**

I sat alone on the stall floor, the dying horse's head cradled in my lap. I didn't move at the slight creak of the door. "Daddy…" I breathed.

Daddy squatted beside me and put an arm around my shoulders, smelling faintly of antiseptic from his recent shift at the hospital. "They let you sit out here alone?"

"I — didn't want them," I murmured. I leaned my head against his shoulder. "It's today, isn't it, Daddy?"

Daddy laid a hand on King's neck. "I've never studied veterinary medicine…but I would say so. Honey, why don't you let me put him out of his misery?"

I shook my head. "No."

Daddy sighed. "I need to go check on Nessie. Will you be all right?"

I nodded wordlessly, and Daddy gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze before silently leaving the barn.

**oOo**

**Carlisle**

Nessie tolerated my daily examinations with patient boredom; I could almost sympathize. Though I had no idea what to expect, I checked her daily more to appease Jacob than out of any true concern for Nessie's health. It was obvious that this pregnancy was no more dangerous than was typical among humans; perhaps even less so.

I was just returning downstairs with Nessie and Jacob when Alice gasped. "She bit him!"

It was no surprise that Alice was here at the big house; all of the family had been spending most of their free time here since Nessie got pregnant.

I hurried the rest of the way to Alice's side. "Who bit whom, Alice?" I feared the worst, though the only _she_ out hunting was Rosalie, and she had never bitten a human.

"Bree! She bit the horse!"

Even as she spoke, the most horrible horse-scream I'd ever heard echoed from the barn.

I whirled from Alice and ran toward the sound, barely pausing to swing the barn door open.

The horse's wildly kicking hooves had already knocked down part of the stall wall; Bree cowered in the farthest corner. I dashed in and swooped her to safety; not that the horse's hooves could hurt her — yet — but her wide-eyed expression made me want to protect her.

"I couldn't let him die, Daddy!" she gasped.

I shook my head sorrowfully. "Bree…we won't be able to let a…creature…like that live." I refrained from using the word _monster_, knowing she would argue it vehemently. "He'll be a newborn — stronger than any of us, without the understanding to learn control."

"But I _can_ control him, Daddy!"

I looked pointedly at the thrashing hooves.

"He can't help that," Bree insisted. "When it's…over…I'll be able to. You _know_ I can."

"Don't you think it's cruel, Bree?" I asked soberly. "To turn a horse into a bloodthirsty vampire when he doesn't have the ability to suck blood?"

I was weakening, and Bree knew it.

"I'll get blood for him," she promised. "I'll kill the animals myself." I doubted that; she still refused to look at the animals I had killed for her. "Please, Daddy!"

"We'll…see," I said slowly. "We'll wait until the transformation is complete. But, Bree, if it turns out you _can't_ control what you have created, it _must_ be destroyed. Do you understand?"

Bree nodded. "Just…please don't make me do it."

I thought of Bree trying to face the strength of a newborn vampire horse, and it was an easy promise to make. Indeed, I doubted the wisdom of my decision; perhaps we should destroy it now before it grew stronger than any of us.

Nor was I the only one to question my choice. I heard Jacob snarl behind me, and turned to see him shaking with anger. I tensed, not sure whether he would go for the horse or for Bree if he phased. But his furious words were directed at me. "How _could_ you, Carlisle? How can you agree to allow that — that monster —"

I was relieved to see Jasper behind him, to see the shaking lessen. "Bree thinks she'll be able to control it."

Jacob snarled, but with Jasper doing his best to calm him and Bree attempting to force the wolf in him to her will, he didn't leap at our throats. "Just remember, Aubrey Cullen!" he hissed. "If that horse harms one hair on Nessie's head, I'll tear it to shreds and come for _you_ next!"

**oOo**

"You're playing favorites," Edward said quietly. He and I stood alone together; Jacob was with Nessie and Jasper was with Bree. I had sent Esme, Alice, and Bella in Emmett's jeep to bring back two or three live animals, and to send Emmett and Rosalie back home. We would need Emmett's strength if…

I forced the thought away and focused instead on Edward's remark. I did spoil Bree, I supposed; she was the youngest of my children in more ways than one. Edward had been seventeen when I changed him, yet seventeen in his day was considered a man. In my time, I had been thought a man before I was fifteen…Bree's age. But where I had been a man, Bree was but a child.

"A Daddy's girl," Edward said softly, following the train of my thoughts.

I smiled slightly, then frowned. "Do you think I'm making a mistake, Edward?"

Edward was silent for a moment. "No," he said finally. "I'm not sure how to say it…she doesn't have any…romantic…feelings toward the horse. But the _strength_ of her love for it is the same as one of us for our mates." He shrugged. "I know what it feels like to think you've lost that."

I nodded quietly, and Edward continued with a note of warning. "Carlisle. I don't think you're wrong…and I do think Bree will be able to control it. But if we have to destroy it, there is no telling what Bree will do."

I understood; she had agreed only because she thought it would be unnecessary. If we had to destroy the horse, she might turn on us…or she might allow Jacob to destroy her as he had promised.

Edward started to leave, then turned back. "Oh, and Carlisle. I don't want Bella near it…until we're sure."

**oOo**

On the third day after Bree had bitten the horse, I called the hospital to let them know I had a family emergency and wouldn't be coming in. I had covered so many shifts for the other doctors, and taken so few off myself, that they didn't ask any questions.

Bella was in the house with Nessie, but the rest of us waited in the barn, tense, Jacob in wolf form. Alice kept trying to "see" what would happen, but a vampire horse was something entirely new in her experience and she was as blind as she was with Jacob or Nessie.

I kept my hand firmly on Bree's shoulder, wishing there was some way to control the horse without her presence. I was afraid, both of what the horse might do to her, and what she might do if we were forced to destroy it.

We all heard the moment the great heart stopped beating. "Esme," I said quietly. "Kill one of the lions and drain the blood into buckets." We would need the blood — but I also needed my Esme further from the danger.

"King," Bree called softly. "King, it's all right." She turned to look up at me for a moment. "Daddy, let me go to him!"

I tightened my hold on her shoulder. "No, Bree."

When the horse opened its eyes, I felt a moment's shock. Rather than the vivid crimson I was expecting, they were a blazing, burning gold. It made sense, I realized; the blood still being absorbed into his body wasn't human but animal.

I didn't have time to consider the implications of this further; King was scrambling to his feet, snorting, his eyes rolling wildly. I heard Jacob's wolf-growl on my right.

With a toss of his head, King's Cross reared on his hind legs, his front hooves pawing the air. Jacob crouched to spring, and Bree flung her hand up. "_No_!" she cried — whether to Jacob or to King, I couldn't tell. But the horse calmed, and Jacob, easier for Bree to control when he was in wolf form, merely growled low in his throat.

"It's all right," Edward murmured from behind me. "Its mind…is clearer than it used to be…it understands what Bree is telling it; it remembers her from before."

Alice skipped forward, a bucket of blood in each hand and Jasper shadowing her side. "Here, King!" she offered brightly, holding up a bucket.

The horse's nostrils flared as it caught the scent of warm blood; with another snort it lowered its nose to drink.

We all drew a breath of relief, and I released Bree to run forward and comb her fingers through King's mane, talking softly to him.

There was no fence that would be able to hold King now; until we were completely sure of him Bree had to stay with him constantly. Nor did I trust him alone with her; Emmett or Jasper was always with her.

Edward couldn't hear King's thoughts directly, but he listened to them through Bree's mind, and within the month I decided it was safe to leave King alone. Not only did he want to be near Bree and do what would please her, he didn't even crave human blood the way most vampires did. We soon found that he preferred the blood of herbivores over the carnivores most of us favored; I suspected what he thirsted for most strongly would be horse blood. It was fascinating to consider; to my knowledge, no one had ever attempted changing an animal before. I only hoped the Volturi would never find out…somehow, I didn't think they'd think too highly of the experiment.

**oOo**

Some time after King's transformation, I was reading in my study when Bree slipped in and climbed into my lap. I smiled and set my book aside to put my arms around her.

"I was right about King, wasn't I, Daddy?" she asked saucily.

"Yes," I admitted, "but I still wish you had asked me before you tried that."

Bree looked up at me with wide golden eyes. "But, Daddy! You would have said no."

The End

**A/N: This was actually the first fanfiction story I wrote (though I'd been writing my own original stories for years!), so later I had to go in and make a few changes to match it to what I now knew of the Cullens' current living arrangements. Also, for some reason I picture the house they're living in now as being blue… Barbie**

_I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! _

_Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie_


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